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Gerhard Pietersen
|religion = Catholic |nickname = |signature = }} Gerhard Pietersen (6 January 1889-7 November 1951) was a Marianan politician and former Prime Minister, a longtime member of the Liberal Party. He was Prime Minister from 1939 to 1949. During the German occupation years, he led a government in exile in Sierra. Pietersen's premiership has long divided opinion; while in office he was viewed quite favourably by citizens and the press, but in the postwar period, historians began to re-evaluate his appeasement line and inability to readily commit to Mariana's defense during the early years of World War II. Early life and education Pietersen studied economics at the Royal University of Palma. Early political career Pietersen joined the Liberals in 1909 while in university. He briefly served in the Palma city government from 1911 to 1913, resigning when being elected to congress with the election of Andrew Hewitt as Prime Minister. An opponent of his successor, Joseph Hertz, Pietersen resigned from his seat in congress and returned to the government in Palma in 1915, returned in elections in 1919 and 1923, returning to national politics for 1927 once Hertz resigned as party president. Defense minister During the second and third Augustus Van der Ecke governments (1931-33 and 1934-36), he served as his Defense minister. As minister, he strove to reduce the power and influence of the military, following the 1927 crisis. He undertook a reduction of conscription numbers in 1931, that while undone by his successor, was resumed in 1934. As minister, he worked to try and promote a policy of neutrality for Mariana in Europe, a view shared by the External Affairs minister. Liberal president He was selected the Liberal leader on 14 February 1938 to replace Felix Andersen. A contentious issue in 1939, especially after the Occupation of Czechoslovakia in March was the looming conflict in Europe, which a number in Mariana saw as a likely path to war. The Meier government felt that the major powers' policy of appeasement, given the increasingly bold and aggressive plans of Germany and Italy would not end until all of Europe was in their hands, or somebody important in Britain of France would draw the line. His government would begin pushing a rearmament and expansion of the military and Mariana's defenses, in the (at the time hoped unlikely) outbreak of war. The Liberals and Pietersen, while officially not agreeing with the Munich Accords of 1938 and appeasement by the European powers, felt that for Mariana rearmament, which would certainly have been seen by Germany as directed at them, would only antagonize them and would certainly lead to confrontation. Much of the population shared the same sentiment, and many though that rearming would lead to retribution of sorts. A vote was called by Meier's government on 4 July to expand conscription, rearmament and the national defenses, which was defeated with opposition from his own government. Elections were to decide if he would get a mandate, with the Liberals wanting to prevail to achieve the opposite. First Pietersen government Push for peace Pietersen ran a campaign on pushing for peace, and on election day, 28 August, the result seemed to be in favor of the Liberals. With the final count completed on the 29th, it was clear that the Liberals had won. Having gained four seats, and the Whites losing 11, the Liberals joined forces with the Social Democrats and Pietersen was appointed to lead the first coalition government, looking towards a policy of peace. Three days after taking office, his government faced the unexpected, the German invasion of Poland. On 3 September, Britain and France declared war on Germany, echoing what Meier seemed to have expected. Still feeling this declaration by the two as quite extempore, he gave a speech in congress on the 4th stating he would still push on with a plan of peace. On 2 October 1939, the government passed a unanimous resolution stating Mariana's official neutrality in any conflict, aiming to reassure the Germans and Italians. The phony war laid rest many people's immediate concerns and worries and for a while it seemed that all-out war may not even happen. The events of 1940 and the fall of Benelux nations, Norway and especially France then made for troubled times. Neutrality would be further reaffirmed, but from August 1940 the military begin to slowly and warily rearm. The king reviewed troops in Ciutadella and Palma as anti-air defenses and barricades went up across the country. German invasion On 20 May 1941, German soldiers and aircraft were involved in an invasion of the country. Resistance was not well organized, though few soldiers were surrendering. Following the king, Pietersen went on the radio and urged soldiers and citizens to resist where possible, but privately began ordering an evacuation of the government and royal family from Palma to Ciutadella that night. Together with the King and royal family, Pietersen made it to Sierra, where he would set up a government-in-exile in Porciúncula. he was forced to reorganize his government, with some of his ministers having been detained by the Germans, unable to escape. Wartime Pietersen government Having lost three ministers, Pietersen reorganized his government, which even came to include White Party representative Jeremy Rowland. His peacetime government in Sierra could do nothing as a collaborationist government was set up. From Sierra, they began organizing plans for supporting resistance groups in Mariana, organizing broadcasts to the people by the king and his government, and speaking with the leaders of the Anglo-American governments for assistance on future liberation and later postwar reconstruction. Third Pietersen government After the war, he was mandated to continue leading the government of liberated Mariana until a special election in February 1945. Pietersen's Liberals won 50 seats, just short of a majority, again joining with the SDP for a government. During Christmas 1948, he announced that he would retire at the end of his third term. He named Alexander Bouras as his successor as party president. Category:Mariana Category:People of Mariana